New Technology, New Training to Keep Kids Safe in School

Published 02/26 2014 11:47AM

Updated 02/26 2014 12:05PM

Tactical Training Exercises at the Union Elementary School

The Montpelier Police Department in conjunction with the Montpelier Fire Department and the Montpelier Public Schools will be conducting a series of training exercises at the Union Elementary School on Park Avenue, in the City of Montpelier, on Wednesday February 26 and Thursday the 27th. The training will begin at 8:00 AM on Wednesday and conclude by noon on Thursday.

Traffic around the school will not be impacted and the majority of the training will take place within the building. The focus of this training will be a continuation of testing police response, communications, school emergency plans, and for the first time, evaluate the joint response of emergency medical personnel supported by police in a hostile environment. The goal here is to keep our schools as safe as possible through collaborative training, effective planning, and the implementation of reasonable safety measures.

Due to the nature of this "force on force" training, there will be the potential sounds from the simulated armed encounters during the exercises. There will be metal signs posted outside the school announcing "Police Training in Progress." The school will not be open to the public during the hours stated above. During the training, there will be representatives from the Vermont School Crisis Planning Team and the Vermont State Police Tactical Services Unit to observe these exercises.

Copyright 2015 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.